I had a recent problem with my Spider Valve MkII HD100 head - it would randomly switch channels for no reason. I removed the shortboard and took all my effects out of the effects loop and the problem still occurred - about every10 seconds it would switch channels a couple times.
I spent some time searching/reading forums to see if anyone was reporting similar problems. I saw two things
Thermal problems with the HD100 MkI Someone suggested that if you play loud, sometimes the vibrations can cause the amp to think you are moving the knobs - suggested turning all the knobs to zero.
I decided to take the amp apart and inspect it. Nothing seemed obviously wrong, but I hoped that disconnecting and reconnecting all the cables to the digital section might magically fix the problem.
No such luck. Problem still existed.
I decided to turn all the knobs to their zero position - I wasn't playing loud, but had nothing else to try.
BINGO! Turning all the knobs to zero and the problem went away. I played for about 20 minutes with no phantom switching - previously it would switch every 10 seconds.
A little more investigation, and I noticed that when I moved the Drive or Bass knob, the channel would switch. Looks like some cross talk between the first three knobs (first 3 knobs are Channel, Drive, Bass - in that order). None of the other knobs cause any problems.
So now the amp is usable - although I am a little hesitant to use it in a gig. It still doesn't work right, but I don't actually use the Drive and Bass knobs much if at all.
QUESTION #1 - anyone seen phantom channel switching like this?
QUESTION #2 - anyone got any suggestions for how to fix the problem I have with the Drive and Bass knobs causing channel switching?
Note: I bought another HD100 amp so I can play gigs. I had to buy it used since they don't make new ones anymore. Huge bummer because I think this is a fantastic sounding amp - and great for me since I play in a cover band and I need a versatile amp.
QUESTION #3 - if they don't make the HD100 anymore, what is the replacement in the Line6 product line?
Jack